Bread and Flowers (Sort of)
by gardenia88
Summary: Before the explosion, Katniss Mellark and Peat Everdeen both had comfortable lives with happy families. When the two of them are thrust together by life-threatening experiences, Peat finally has the opportunity to repay his debt while Katniss tries to come to terms with her past. Time cannot heal all the scars. Town!Katniss x Seam!Peeta
1. Chapter 1: 11

**Hi everyone!**

 **So, this here is my very first Hunger Games fanfiction. It is quite dark and has some themes that might be disturbing to some people.** **This IS also a role reversal fanfic in which Katniss is the one who was born in the bakery while Peeta is the one who lives in the Seam. The POV will be third-person but will alternate between Katniss and Peeta. This is kind of a test fic so let me know if you want more!**

 **Do NOT read if:**

 **-You hate themes such as c** **hild abuse, s** **uffering, v** **iolence, murder**

 **-You don't like role reversal fanfics.**

 **-You don't like occasional swearing**

 **Anyways, enjoy! I apologize for any grammar mistakes in advance.**

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 _ **PART I : PRE-ARENA**_

 _ **~Chapter 1: 11~**_

"We never get over great losses; we absorb them and they carve us into different creatures"

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The bakery of District 12 was known for many things. It sold delicious bread, cookies, and other pastries. The Mellarks, the ones who ran the bakery were kind too. Their daughter, Katniss Mellark was also known to be beautiful, kind, and a friend of laughter. She also had a distinct appearance, not what one would see in a town person. She looked like a Seam girl with blue eyes. She inherited black hair from her mother and blue eyes from her father. The combination between Seam and Merchant looks was attractive to many. Some people regarded it with disdain. But even those people had a soft spot for Katniss. She was generous, selfless, and kind. She achieved quite good grades and was very humble. She loved helping others and she gave people baked goods on holidays. She loved to sing so she often sang during her past time. It was unknown how she inherited such a good singing voice considering how her parents almost never did. However, it was for a different reason.

Katniss Mellark was also content with her life. Her parents were kind and gentle. They were the ones who taught her how to bake, knead the dough, and ice the cakes. She loved doing all of it. (The only job that she did not really enjoy was slaughtering the pigs. Blood made her queasy).Their family was fairly wealthy. Not the wealthiest, but they were better than the ones that lived in the Seam. Katniss sometimes secretly gave the little Seam children cookies. Seeing the starving young children, many with their ribs showing broke Katniss's gentle heart. After all, It was better to be hurt yourself and help others, rather than hurting others for your own benefit. That was what her parents taught her.

Another thing that Katniss loved watching was the children of all ages, both Seam and Merchant, marveling her decorated cakes. She felt a little sorry for them since it was hard for some families to afford. But she loved how they praised the beautiful flowers, the soft colors, and the patterns. Her parents also loved it.

Despite the fact that Katniss seemed like she would make many friends, she didn't. At first, she did, but after finding out some tried to take advantage of her kindness and generosity, she decided to isolate herself. She did have one friend. Madge, the mayor's daughter. She was like Katniss, seemed to be the kind to have many friends but isolated herself. That was one of the reasons Katniss liked her.

When she wasn't hanging around with Madge, she would look outside of the window at the school building for ideas to either draw or decorate on the cakes. She was very fond of animals and liked to play outside. Other times, she would stare at that particular Seam boy. She first noticed him in Kindergarten during music class. After hearing him sing the valley song, so loud, clear, and beautiful, she tried to get to that too, to get him to notice her as well. She remembered that his dad visited the bakery on occasion. Whenever he did, her family would get delicious meat. She supposed the boy inherited his marvelous singing voice from his father, who made the mockingjays stop to listen.

The boy intrigued her. He looked like he could've been born in the Town, as he had the stereotypical blond hair. Evidence that he lived in the Seam was his stormy grey eyes. Not to mention, he was the cutest boy she had ever seen. As time went on, Katniss tried to talk to him or to say hello, but she could never find the courage to do so. All she could do was watch him from afar. Another reason why she liked him was because of his little sister. She was a spitting image of her older brother. She was kind, sweet, and innocent like Katniss herself. The little girl would marvel at Katniss's decorations during the few times she had come along with her father to the bakery. In a few feeble ways to catch the boy's attention, she would decorate the flower with the blonde Seam girl's namesake, Primrose. But to her disappointment, he didn't seem to bat an eye to her. Both of them were like her, evidence that Seam and Merchant can be together.

Katniss wanted a sibling too, but her parents were content with just her. "We don't need any more children, Katniss. We only want you!" her father would say. Even so, Katniss was content.

When she was 11, her so-called peaceful life came to an abrupt end when the accident happened. Down in the mines, there was an explosion which killed many miners, mostly from the Seam. Her father sought to help them. Katniss caught snippets of their conversation.

"You can't go there, Boris! It's dangerous," her mother pleaded.

Her father shook his head. "My dear," he said "They need help there. All I want to do is see if they are all right." he reassured her.

"But you can get killed there too!"

"I promise. I won't die. Okay?" He gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

"You better not." her mother said.

And Boris Mellark stepped out of the house.

When morning came, he still was not back yet. Katniss and her mother went out to see the survivors of the mine explosion. That's when two miners carrying a stretcher came by to her mother. She saw the two men say something to her mother and saw her mother freeze. The next thing Katniss heard was a scream, filled with pain and sorrow, from her mother. Katniss ran over to see what happened.

"Mom!" Katniss shouted. "Mom! Are you okay?" Her mother could only sob in reply.

"Hey!" Katniss turned to a voice and saw it was one of the miners, with a burn on his face. "You must be Katniss Mellark right?" Katniss nodded. "I want you to listen to me very carefully, and relax..." he told her.

For some reason, the miner's voice faded out. Katniss couldn't hear anything. Instead, she decided to use her sight to find out what happened. Her eyes landed on a lifeless form on the stretcher with a blond head.

That was when her hearing finally returned. She heard a little girl's scream as her sight faded to black.

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Her father's funeral was the first one she had ever experienced. Even though it was only the first, she already reached a conclusion. She hated them. She never imagined it to be like this.

Katniss was surprised at how many people had come to the funeral. Though deep down, she knew they were not as deeply affected.

"I'm sorry for your loss," they said

"He was a kind man."

"He's gone to a better place."

People talked to her, but their voices burned holes. They had no meaning. They didn't care. They were thankful it didn't happen to them.

But then, she heard a voice that made her look up, along with her mother.

"It's better to be hurt yourself and help others, rather than hurting others for your own benefit."

Mr. Everdeen. She didn't know why the father of her crush was saying this to them. But she was surprised how he knew about that. He nodded to her mother whose gaze softened. And she smiled for the first time since her father's death. Mr. Everdeen looked sad too. It was then when she noticed him covered in bandages, and with what seemed to be a completely mangled leg.

Her eyes met the young boy's behind his father. His eyes widened with recognition then flit away, with something that looked like guilt. Or sympathy. She couldn't really tell. Katniss turned away and returned to her initial position. Hunched shoulders, downcast gaze, blank expression. For some reason, she didn't even feel sad. Just numb. Normally, that would've struck a chord in her, but now didn't seem like it mattered.

That day, her mother had changed. She was no longer the kind and gentle mother that Katniss knew. The one Katniss loved. The second they stepped into the bakery foyer, her mother began shouting at her.

"What is your problem, Katniss?!" she screeched. Katniss jumped at the sudden outburst.

"How can you not even love your own father?!" she screeched again.

"N-no!" Katniss replied, shocked. "How could I not-?"

"You didn't even shed a single tear when he died!" her mother's voice grew increasingly louder with each word.

"But-" Katniss tried to protest but was interrupted with a slap to the face. While it didn't have enough force to knock someone down, Katniss fell due to the shock of it. She hissed in pain at the stinging sensation it left.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT! HE TAUGHT YOU MANY THINGS! HE TOOK CARE OF YOU AND LOVED YOU! YOU ARE EQUIVALENT TO AN EMOTIONLESS KILLER!" Katniss didn't recoil from the hurtful words.

Instead, she was shocked.

She was shocked at how her loving mother had the ability to accuse her of these things. She was shocked at how her mother's usual kind face was contorted into an ugly scowl.

Her mother left the foyer of the bakery and went up the stairs. A door slam was heard. Katniss was left on the floor, trembling from the shock, the sting of the slap fading out with her mother's outburst.

It's okay Katniss. Mom is just sad. Everything will be okay. We'll work together to run the bakery, we'll continue to bake things the way we used to, maybe I'll find a way to make more money. Mom will be alright. I love you, Daddy. I miss you.

Unfortunately, things did not really go as she hoped to. Her mother had good days and bad days. One day, she would be speaking to her with her usual kindness and tenderness. Katniss cherished those moments more than anything Other days, she would be throwing pots and pans at her. Katniss did her best to take care of her mother, and manage the shop. It wasn't easy considering how much work she had to do. Luckily she remembered the most important recipes and made sure those were always prepared. She made sure to smile and greet every customer kindly; that became increasingly harder to do as time passed. The stress from maintaining the shop, caring for her mother, and most of all, grieving her father's death was slowly making her fall apart.

Her mother's depression and mood swings were no secret to the town. People gave them gifts of all sorts and the Capital even gave them a large sum of money to get them back on their feet. That money disappeared rapidly, probably because of her mother.

Katniss sometimes skipped school to help her mother run the bakery. On days when her mother felt well, she would go to school and act like everything was normal. Though she was sure everyone could tell she was different from before. She was sure the blond Seam boy noticed this the most out of everyone as she often caught him staring at her with guilty and sad eyes. Though he was the least of her worries. Most important was to keep the bakery from failing.

Around half a year later, her mother called her into the house for some important things.

"Now Katniss," she told her. "This room here is designated for you." Her mother pointed to her dad's old office.

"Okay," Katniss replied, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

Her mother opened the door in the office. The new sight in there astounded and horrified her at the same time.

In the middle of the room, there was a cage. It looked to be slightly bigger than the chicken coop that was in their yard- to be exact, only 5x5 feet. In the corner of the room, there was a narrow closet that looked like had a few nails, spikes, and knives stuck through the door and the back of it. It reminded Katniss of an iron maiden. All of the windows, except one, were covered by wood planks which were nailed to the wall, blocking any light from coming in.

Katniss found her voice after staring at the contraptions for a few minutes. "M-mother… Wh-what is this?" She had lessons about old torture methods in school, so she really hoped her mother wasn't trying to recreate them.

Her mother's reply was sickly sweet and filled with malice which made Katniss's insides churn. "This, darling sweetheart, is where you'll go if you are a bad girl. Depending on the severity, I'll either sentence you to maybe a day in the cage, or a few hours in the closet. And if you are a very bad girl, I'll sentence you to even more."

"But mother! This is mad! I can get badly hurt in the-" Katniss was cut off with a hand pressing firmly to her mouth.

"I'm not finished yet." her mother said. "This will eventually be helpful to you. You are too kind. That's why those people in your school try to take advantage of you."

Katniss was dumbfounded. For fear that her mother would do something bad, she replied with a quiet "okay" and got to work in the bakery. Doing her best to not mess anything up.

First, she prepared the bread the way her father had taught her. She took out the dough, covered it with flour, and proceeded to knead it. Once that was done, she set it aside.

Her feelings were jumbled up and mixed together. It was like anger, hatred, confusion, sadness, and hopelessness were put in a blender, pounded together, and locked inside her brain.

A single tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it with her sleeve. Don't cry Katniss! You'll be fine! Mother is just having a bad day. Shh, relax. Deep breaths. But Katniss seriously doubted this was the case.

She was icing one of the cakes, concentrating to make sure the flowers she was decorating were pristine and beautiful. She eventually began to sense eyes cutting into the back of her head. Combined with the lingering thought of the office, apprehension took over her body, making it nearly impossible to do her job properly. She picked up the maroon colored icing to decorate the middle of the flowers-

"What is with your proportions?!" Katniss jumped in surprise,

SQUIRT

Katniss knew she had screwed up big time without even looking to see what it was. Her mouth opened in horror as she realized what she had done. She took a deep breath and looked down.

The flowers, with their three, white, heart-shaped petals, were uneven in size and were too clustered together. The arrow-shaped leaves around them were too fat. Worst of all, a large maroon blob of frosting completely covered half of the flowers, making whatever could've been fixed unsalvageable. Katniss flowers. Ruined and mutilated beyond repair.

Her mother's usually kind face contorted into an ugly scowl.

"YOU INCOMPETENT LITTLE FOOL!" She grabbed for the young 12-year-old girl.

Katniss sidestepped from her mother's hand. "Mom! Please! I know I messed up!" Katniss tried to placate her and save herself from a possibly hellish night in the cage or iron maiden.

"Do you know how much that WASTE would cost us?!"

"I KNOW Mom! I'm sorry!" Her mother grabbed her by the hand. There was no gentleness or tenderness in her grip. Her mother's sharp nails dug into her skin.

She continued to drag Katniss in the direction of the office with the tiny cage and the closet with knives and sharp nails.

Her mother walked into the darkened room with a screaming and pleading Katniss in tow.

"Please, mom!" she whispered as her mother shoved her into the cage, slammed it shut and locked it.

Then she stormed out of the room and slammed the door.

Katniss wrapped her fingers around the bars of the cage. All the hope she had left disappeared. What could she do now with her mother like this?

The kind mother she knew was gone, replaced by this monster. There really was nothing to believe in now. Was the tender and loving mother completely unsalvageable?

Katniss tried to stretch but found that she had barely enough room to straighten her legs. She silently stared into space.

Minutes passed. Then hours. Katniss began to feel the sharp throbbing pangs of hunger. Her stomach begged for food. Was this how Seam children felt? No. She was different from them. She was not accustomed to the constant gnawing at her stomach like they were.

Her mother did not come to let her out. Katniss called for her to come. She said she was sorry and that she would do everything her mother told her to do. She yelled and called until her throat became too raw to yell anymore. Her legs were begging to be set free.

"Daddy…. Daddy… ," she sobbed softly into the darkness.

She began to drift off into what she would later call "a peaceful sleep."

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 **Thank you guys for reading the first chapter! Rate and Review, please!**

 **-Gardenia88 ;D**


	2. Chapter 2: 11

**Hello everyone,**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews and feedback! To show my gratitude, I have made another chapter! This chapter is in Seam!Peeta's point of view.**

 **Quick Notes:**

 **-POV change will be kind of random. There won't be any specific pattern**

 **-There MIGHT be some time inconsistencies between POV changes. I'm trying hard to avoid them.**

 **-I apologize for any grammar mistakes! I'm posting this from my phone so I can't really look at Grammarly.**

 **-I have found a way to incorporate the bread part, and I hope it makes sense and meets your expectations.**

 **Happy reading! :)**

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 _ **~Chapter 2: 11~**_

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It was two months after the mine explosion that had left his father crippled. A serious angry burn on his left arm, a few smaller ones in other places, a concussion, and a broken leg. Looking at his father's wounds, the signs that his father was unable to provide for them, made Peat sick to his stomach. His sweet 7-year-old sister, Prim, was even able to handle the horrendous sight better than he was. They were lucky that his mother knew had to heal this stuff, but never had he ever seen her almost break down when the news of the explosion had come to them.

The pain and fear that the young boy had felt when his father didn't come out of the mine with the survivors were too gruesome sum up with words. Their mother seemed to shut down in front of them while Prim had cried. Mother was unresponsive, while Prim cried more. However, his family was lucky. A few able-bodied men had gone down to the mine to rescue any survivors that had a chance to be saved and his father was among the ones that were brought to the surface by them. His mother was practically revived as she hugged their father with pure joy and happiness.

His father, however, was not as ecstatic as the rest of his family about his survival. Peat suspected that one reason was because of his heavy injuries and the pain he was in, but he was wrong. Peat wouldn't find out the real reason until the baker's funeral which his father insisted on attending.

Even though his father did survive and his family had not broken up, that did not mean that they were exempt from any further troubles. His father was too badly injured to work in the mines, nor was he able to hunt. His mother had used up almost all the supplies in treating his father and other injured miners who couldn't pay for her help. This left them with barely anything to eat or trade. And Peat and Prim felt the full effects of it. He could sense his parents' guilt of being unable to stop their suffering and both of them tried their best to make sure that any meager portions they had gotten were given to the two hungry children. But meager rations could only last so long.

And if his parents were unable to do anything to improve the situation, then only he had a chance.

Even if he failed, then he refused to go down without a fighting chance.

The young boy was out in the ice cold rain and wind. Empty handed again. He glanced at Prim's old baby clothes in his hands which no one wanted to buy. They weren't in prime condition, but he speculated that the main reason was that no one wanted to buy from HIM in particular.

The townies he had approached were at first enticed by his blond hair, but one look at his grey eyes and coal-dust covered face and clothes convinced him otherwise.

The Seam people in the hob turned him down for what he was selling and because they thought he was a townie. The most scathing remark, from the last person he tried to trade with, was fresh in his mind.

"Why is a townie like you here? How DARE you stereotype us!"

 _So cold. So tired…_

 _Need money… Food… Anything…_

A large gust of wind blew, almost knocking over his emaciated 11-year-old body. He kept his feet planted to the ground, trying to withstand the biting coldness. He had to keep going, for his mother who already had too much to worry about, his father who was too injured to do basic tasks, and sweet little Prim who didn't deserve to suffer the horrible thing called hunger.

He thought about how Prim would reassure him "It's okay. I'm not even hungry anyway." with the brightest smile she could muster, only to hear her whimper from the painful hollowness in her stomach when she thought he was asleep.

Yes. Prim was the reason why he was still out there, fighting the weather and trying to get, even if it was just one tiny scrap, food. He didn't want to hear those pained whimpers anymore.

During his fight against the wind, he hadn't realized he had stumbled in the town sector. The smell of delicious fresh baking bread told him he was in front of the bakery. That's it! He could dig through the trash and see what was in there! There had to be something good.

He made his way around the bakery to the trash bins in the back. Once he was there, he used all his strength to lift the cover, dropping Prim's clothes in the process. Empty. He felt his heart drop.

Light came from above him, followed by screeching. The baker's wife. He couldn't figure out what she was yelling about. Something about stealing and getting coal dust in her yard. He didn't have enough energy to call her out and say that she was also from the Seam. In the back of his mind, he knew this was out of character. From what he remembered, the Mellarks were the only merchant family that was decent to everyone in the district.

Something shattered next to him. Then pain exploded on the left side of his forehead and he fell to the ground, right into a dirty puddle, getting his pants completely wet. A can. He tried to see if there was anything edible, only to be disappointed.

"SCRAM! Get out of my property!"

I wonder if yelling is her hobby

Peat didn't need to be told twice. He quickly dragged himself away from the back door, making sure to avoid the glass shards from the bottle that the woman had thrown at him. Red liquid dropped onto his hand. He lifted it up to his throbbing forehead and found more blood coming from the spot the can had hit him.

He dragged himself a few more feet and found himself underneath a bare apple tree. That's when his strength gave out and he slumped down in defeat.

 _This isn't so bad here. It provides decent cover from the rain._

He had failed. He couldn't bring anything back to his family. He was going to die, Prim will definitely die. He tried not to imagine his family's faces of grief at the news of his death. He wondered who will come to his funeral.

His negative train of thought was interrupted by more screeching. Briefly, he wondered if the baker's wife was going to chase him out again until he realized it was coming from within. He lifted his head to look into one of the windows and he saw the baker's wife angrily hit something, or rather someone, with a rolling pin. Peat cringed. His mother never hit him or Prim.

The back door opened once more and a black-haired girl was shoved out with so much force that it knocked her to the ground. Two loaves of bread were thrown after her which she picked up as if they were precious gems. Peat's mouth watered.

"FEED IT TO THE PIG, YOU INCOMPETENT LITTLE CREATURE! NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WILL BUY BURNED BREAD!"

The door slammed shut again. After a few seconds, the girl picked herself up and brought a hand over to her left cheek, probably where she was hit. After deeming it nonserious, she walked with the bread to the pig pen and began tearing off burned chunks to throw into the pig trough.

He was so busy watching her throw the bread pieces to the pigs that he didn't notice the door open again, startling him.

"IF YOU DARE TO COME BACK BEFORE DAWN, YOU WON'T GET ANY MEALS FOR A WEEK!", yelled the baker's wife before she slammed the door shut, locking it tight.

Peat saw the girl's shoulders shake, but he couldn't tell if it was from fear or the cold rain. She went to the broken glass and the partially crumpled can and threw them in the trash bins.

Peat was too busy watching her that he didn't notice her right in front of him. He looked up and cowered at her height. He tried to back away but the tree blocked him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, y'know." She was speaking to him in a kind soft voice, a big contrast from her witch of a mother. That's when he recognized her. The baker's daughter. Also the object of affection for most of the boys in school. He couldn't remember her name.

"H-huh?", was all he could manage.

"I'm here to help," she held the two bread loaves in front of him.

Peat stared at them, not believing that this was real. It was bread! Real bread! Even though they were burnt on some parts, it was still food! Food!

With shaky hands, he took them and put them underneath his jacket. The rejuvenating effect was instantaneous. The warmth from the bread instantly warmed up his freezing body and he felt his strength return. He was able to stand up with help from the girl.

He couldn't find words to convey his gratitude to her, so he just stared at her with an open mouth.

"Well, you should go back home. And buy yourself a decent supper as soon as possible," she took his hand and slipped some coins and closed it around them. Her hand instantly warmed up his and made him feel less numb. Peat opened his mouth to object but she silenced him with a hard look.

That's when he noticed her eyes. Shivers that were not from the rain ran down his spine. They were cerulean blue and so hollow and lifeless that he was sure she had joined her father in her mind. He could see a welt forming on her left cheek.

She let go of his hand. "I gotta get out of here." She looked at him and pointed a finger. "You should too. Feed your family." There was a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Hey, wai-", she took off without a backward look before he could finish his sentence. He continued to stare at her after she disappeared, looking at the footprints she had left. His hand with the coins still felt warm from her touch.

That's when he remembered why he ventured out. He made his way back home through the muddy streets back to the Seam.

The smiles of Prim and his mother were enough to light up the entire district. He told his family that he had helped the baker's daughter clean the kitchen and her mother had given him the burned bread. The lie wasn't too bad, right?

…

…

…

…

It wasn't good enough to fool his father…

He never felt so low in his life.

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The next day, the two of them went to school as if nothing had happened between them. Peat hung around with his friends (who didn't really help him at all) while the girl went around mostly in solitude.

You would think that it would be easy for him to just go up to her and thank her or to ask where she went the night before, but it wasn't for him. He continued to watch her when no one was looking.

She didn't even seem to pass him a second glance. She just answered all the questions the teachers asked her flawlessly and continued to help fellow classmates with their schoolwork.

He couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed.

After dismissal, he waited in front of the main entrance for Prim when he saw her again out in the field. She seemed to be scribbling something in a notebook.

As if noticing his stare, she looked up at him.

They held each other's gazes for a few seconds. Then the edges of her lips curled up into a small smile.

Peat smiled back.

Prim came from behind him and he turned around to greet her. When he looked at where the girl with the bread had been standing, she was nowhere to be seen.

As he and Prim walked through the field, he noticed a small patch of dandelions and then he knew. It wasn't the end of the world.

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 **Thank you for taking the time to read this story!**

 **PS, I will respond to reviews if I get less than 10 between each update.**

 **Sparky She-Demon:** I'm glad you like it! I would be making more if I don't get bombarded by schoolwork!

 **Guest:** I'll take that as a compliment! And btw, the method of her mother obtaining the cage will be revealed in a later chapter. It will be featured in later chapters.

 **WWHPmockingjayLILI:** I'm glad you liked it! Hope this chapter fulfilled your desires!

 **hgfanaticeverlark:** This is my first time writing an angst story (LOL) so I'm glad you liked it!

 **sandy6677:** Thank you for the compliment! Hope you continue to read this!

 **Momma Duck:** Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! I will be writing more!


	3. Chapter 3: 12

**Chapter 3:** 12

School. Something that Katniss perceived as a HUGE waste of precious time that can be spent helping her mother run the bakery on a good day and/or making up for lost time on a bad day.

The only reason why Katniss was even bothering was that her mother had told her it was either spend 6 hours in school or 6 hours in the closet.

Katniss chose the lesser of the two evils. Even though most of the material was so goddamn inconsequential. Here are some examples:

History: the same annoying stuff about how the 13 Districts were like rebellious children who didn't know what was best for them and had tried to defy the Capitol, the guardian, and deserved the Hunger Games as their punishment. _Reaping speech rehash._

Science: always something about coal and its properties. She was a baker though and icing cakes and kneading dough did not apply any of the knowledge from science class _. Don't need it._

English: Stories and plays about heroes from the Capitol. Then you have to write an essay about it with the same prompt. No surprise there. _Don't care._

Math: the only thing that she even found mildly interesting that wasn't tampered to favor the Capitol. But she won't really have to solve equations, find the area of random shapes, or find the derivative of bread in the future.

In conclusion, school=boring propaganda. And vocations were pretty much solidified at birth. Merchants will always be merchants, miners will always be miners. _Nothing can change that._

The worst part was that she STILL had to pay attention and get decent enough grades. 1) To keep her image in the school. She was still the known as the patient tutor who can explain the material better than the teachers yet few people asked her for aid now 2) To not instill her mother's wrath. One B- on an English assignment had earned her 2 nights in the cage. On a school night too.

Madge seemed to be the only reason why she wasn't going insane in school. She was the only person she dared to tell about her mother. At first, Madge was silent and didn't really say anything about it, but Katniss knew she was listening. In return, Madge had told her about her own mother who still had not gotten over Aunt Maysilee's death.

Madge also supplied Katniss with some extra food when her mother deprived her of it and even a few vials of morphing which Katniss used to give her mother a few days of freedom from the pain and grief of life.

Madge really was a good friend, Katniss decided. The two of them had more in common than she had originally thought. Unfortunately, they didn't share any periods except for lunch.

Now, Katniss found herself in history class. It was time for the midyear group project in which the teacher assigned everyone to work in groups to study significant elements of the first rebellion. And just with her luck, she had gotten assigned to work with the Tate Grovelsfield and two other way too talkative town girls who thought the world would end if someone called them "bitch" behind their backs.

Now, here's some background information, Tate was the undertaker's son and one of the biggest scumbags in their school. The majority of the school made sure to steer clear of him anywhere they walked. But he still somehow had his circle of friends who were just as obnoxious. Katniss disliked Mr. Grovelsfield for charging her family extra to bury her father since their entire family were intolerant bigots that called her Dad a Seam-lover. Rumor had it that his father had paid several Seam girls to slip into his bed when he was a teen. As for Tate, Katniss's description of him in words would be….preferable not to say as it would be filled with an infinite number of expletives.

All of the desks were pushed into small tables of 4 for each group so that was why she found herself at her desk with Tate across from her, Beady on her right, and Pigtails on her left. (That was what she decided to nickname the two girls) The three of them were engaging in a conversation Katniss didn't care about so she tuned them out and just worked on the history project on Jabberjays.

For a Capitol-made curriculum, the decision to include in Jabberjays was counterintuitive. But Katniss wasn't complaining.

That was the main reason why she was interested in this and why she decided to do the other's work. It wasn't like her group members were any helpful.

She was busy writing down facts about how they were genetically engineered when she heard Tate's voracious and brutish voice.

"My Daddy told me about the Seam sluts! He said they go dress in dirty clothing and dirty themselves for money! Isn't that gross?"

"I know right!" said Beady. "How low they would stoop is honestly disgusting!"

Pigtails chimed in. "Yeah! All of them should just starve! It's their own fault they are poor!"

Katniss realized what they were talking about and bit her lip. It was winter. The time of the year when a larger than average flock of starving girls would line up at Cray's doorstep. Katniss had recently found out the reason why: Cray would give a girl a few coins if she slips into his bed.

She was willing to bet that even a few merchants did this too.

After getting over her initial disgust toward the Seam girls that used this method, she felt like a horrible person for thinking that way. Luckily she hadn't blurted this out to her mother. That might end up earning her a year in the cage.

Her mother…

Katniss never knew what her mother's life was like before marrying into the Mellark family. The first and last time she had asked her mother what living in the Seam was like, her mother's eyes had glazed over and she had to retreat into her room, abandoning the half kneaded dough she had been working on.

Innocent 8-year-old Katniss had not known what she had done to upset her mother. Her father had just told her in a gentle voice to not talk about the past since "It makes your mother sad."

"Tate," Katniss addressed him, forcing herself to make eye contact. The other three jumped at the sound of her voice, obviously surprised that quiet antisocial Katniss was chiming into their conversation. "You should consider people's circumstances before you start to judge them." Gosh, Katniss could feel her heart pounding. She wasn't used to saying her true thoughts out loud.

Tate was the first to break out of his surprised stupor. "Katniss!" he sounded phonily cheerful. "You've finally joined in our conversation!"

Katniss decided to play his game. She gave him a sickly sweet smile. "Yes, I just happened to hear you talking about the Seam."

"Why yes!" he raised his voice. "The girls are sluts, and the boys are all black and dirty!" Yes, he shouted that last part. Heads turned in their direction. Where was the teacher when you needed her?

"Yeah!" said Beady. "By the way Katniss, even though you may look like a Seam slut, it doesn't mean you are one."

Pigtails giggled. "We wouldn't be talking to you if you weren't the baker's daughter."

Katniss's shoulders began to shake. She pinched her knees to prevent herself from losing her composure. The shaking increased in frequency until she started…. laughing?

Yep, she was laughing now and making no effort to suppress it. It wasn't the kind of genuine lighthearted laughter. Her laughter passed onto the other three and soon they were laughing too.

Finally, Katniss took some deep breaths and finally stopped. "All right guys, can you tell me why you were laughing?"

"That's obvious!" piped up Tate. "Because you were!"

Katniss spoke again. "Okay, you don't know why," her face turned serious. "You know, it's foolish to laugh when you don't even KNOW what's funny in the first place."

"Oh yeah?" said Tate. "Then what is YOUR reason?" He challenged her.

"I'm laughing because you guys have your heads stuck up SOOO far up your butts. You would go so far to assume that any girl with black hair is 'a black and dirty slut.'!" she shook her head to add effect. "You know, you shouldn't use that word. It's bad for health."

Tate widened his eyes imperceptibly, obviously surprised that humble and meek Katniss Mellark was speaking up for herself. Beady and Pigtails just stared at her. Yep.

"Well, someone must've taken a confidence pill! And I'm only talking about the sluts! Not you!"

"Sure! I'll heed your wishes and talk about the Seam girls. For them, it's either go sleep with a merchant for a night, or starve to death."

"Then they SHOULD starve to death!", Pigtails said, joining the discussion.

Katniss struggled to keep her face neutral as her blood boiled. "Ok, you probably think I'm going to say 'How would you feel if you were a desperate Seam kid?', but no. They shouldn't starve to death because it will potentially be bad for the merchants too."

Tate raised his eyebrow. "Oh really? How the heck can those poor lazy asses be useful to us? They're the scums of society! Just touching one would make me puke!"

Katniss decided to play the logical card. "That's where you're wrong. The Seam people are the ones who mine the coal, which _is_ the stuff that the Capitol actually wants! If they don't mine coal, then WE have to. And I seriously doubt that you would want to GET KILLED IN AN EXPLOSION." By the time she had finished talking, she realized that her voice was getting louder. She noticed that everyone had turned their attention on the two of them. Blondie and Pigtails had backed away from the conflict.

Tate, who was living up to his reputation of a giant scumbag, stood up, and said something that made everyone, merchants and Seam alike, recoil in disgust. It was just a low blow.

" _YOU'RE JUST SALTY BECAUSE YOUR DAD DIED WHEN HE WASN'T A MINER!"_

Katniss's already boiling blood finally boiled over and she stood up to look him directly in the eyes. She felt no fear because she was so angry. "LEAVE MY DAD OUT OF THIS!"

"I THINK YOU SHOULD GO BACK TO YOUR PLACE! SHUT UP!"

"I THINK YOU SHOULD DIE WITH THE PEOPLE THAT YOU BURY!"

The two of them continued to go back in forth, eventually getting into a huge shouting match. They got into each other's faces and tossed words around with the raw intention to maim, to hurt, and humiliate. All of the students shared panicked looks, yet none of them could muster up the courage to intervene. And seeing the usual quiet Katniss Everdeen, the girl who you would ask for academic questions, angry and worked up was quite the spectacle.

"I THINK THE SAYING IS TRUE! LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER! YOU BOTH ARE SLUTS!"

"YOUR FATHER PAID SEAM GIRLS TO SLEEP WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS A TEEN!" Katniss countered. "SO WITH THAT LOGIC, LIKE FATHER LIKE SON! YOU'RE A JOHN!"

Tate's eyes widened and everyone gasped. Some people out of surprise that Katniss had shouted the Grovelsfields' "secret", and the rest of them from hearing this revelation.

Katniss lowered her voice. "The Seam people are NOT the ones at fault here."

She noticed Tate trying to regain his composure after she had just revealed his family's skeleton in the closet. Yep, she had definitely hit a nerve, but she pushed the feeling of guilt back when she remembered what, and who she was fighting for.

Tate finally looked up at her with his eyes narrowed. He was definitely trying to return the favor. "You're a Seam-loving half breed, I think you're just trying to protect Everdeen there cause you want to get him. I think Daddy Everdeen was gonna die but _your_ Daddy died-"

Katniss felt her throat dry up. It was a good thing he wasn't speaking loud enough for the rest of the class-God forbid Peat- to hear. But she still managed to interrupt him and say her next sentence and effectively convey her hatred in her blue eyes. "I think _you_ should go into the mines and burn in hell when it explodes on you." referencing their previous conversation that transpired before their shouting match.

He said the next part loud enough for the entire class to hear, "It's honestly beyond me why you like those good-for-nothings. Everdeens are selfish filthy half breeds who break the law for their own benefit and-"

That statement was the last straw.

* * *

"BOYS! GET UP AND LINE UP THIS INSTANT!", the teacher finally returned from her exodus to see the aftermath of the Mellark-Grovelsfield shouting match. Yet the clueless teacher did not know who got into the conflict with Tate.

The boys, save for Tate who, with bruises all over his body and tear-stained face, was curled up in fetal position on the floor, obliged and stood against the wall shoulder-to-shoulder. Katniss and the rest of the girls stayed in their seats and held their breaths. Her knuckles throbbed, her right middle finger throbbed, a cut above her right eye stung, and the area around her left eye hurt.

"Hold out all of your hands." They all did so willingly and some had their gazes focused on Katniss. She ignored them.

The teacher examined all of their spotless hands and looked completely confused as it seemed like no one had inflicted the serious injuries on Tate. It couldn't have been a paranormal force, could it?

The teacher narrowed her eyes, "All right now boys, if you tell me this was the work of a paranormal force, I will give you all detention and 0's for your projects!" the teacher sternly said this.

"You won't have to."

"Mellark, I was talking to the boys, not you-" she stopped and gasped when she saw Katniss's outstretched blood-stained hands.

Katniss didn't know how bad her hands looked until she had shown them to the teacher. Her right middle finger was bent at an odd angle, her palms were covered with dried blood (Tate's blood), two of her fingernails were scratched, and the joints between fingers and hands were bruised. These injuries were child's play compared to Tate's. Lugging around flour sacks and sustaining beatings did have it's benefits after all.

"Both of you, go to the Principal's office, now!"

* * *

It was 10 at night and Katniss was home, lying on the floor inside the cage, AGAIN. Her forehead was bandaged, bruises covered her knuckles, her finger was put in a splint, and her left eye was covered by a warm cloth. Her mother had been nice enough to pay for treatment but not nice enough to not shout at her and throw her into the cage when she got home with a warning.

Katniss was let off the hook with a formal warning from while Tate had gotten a 3-day suspension. Yet her mother still punished her for hurting another student since she had won the fight. At the same time, she was surprised that she was actually able to beat him down to the point he could barely talk or move.

Staying in the cage was boring, so this was where she often let her thoughts take control. It was the only way to distract herself from the gnawing in her stomach. This time, she began to ponder about her family's statement.

" **It was better to be hurt yourself and help others, rather than hurting others for your own benefit."**

You would think that after a year of enduring abuse and negligence from her mother, she would have questioned this statement.

But no.

It was the fight with Tate and her punishment afterward that got her to ponder this.

 _Was it really a good thing to live by?_

She began to think of the hours she had spent in the cage and closet. Was her mother helping her?

She thought about how her mother had thrown her out of the bakery for a night after she burned the bread she gave to Peat.

She thought about her father.

" **It was better to be hurt yourself and help others, rather than hurting others for your own benefit."**

That's why her father was dead.

His death caused her relationship with mother to sour.

 **That's why everything was messed up. That thing her parents lived by…**

 **Just caused misery.**

Her fight with Tate just proved that the statement didn't apply in some scenarios. Some people deserve to be hurt.

Maybe she did too...

* * *

 **Man, that was dark, and kind of angsty. I kind of wanted to show Katniss's personality changes and I think I did a decent job. It's gonna get even MORE angsty! LOL XD**

 **Sparky She-Demon:** Yeah! I'll definitely get to the 74th! Probably in 5 chapters as this beginning part is essential to the plot since this deviates from the canon.

 **WWHPmockingjayLILI:** Here's an update for you!

 **hgfanaticeverlark:** Aww, thank you!

 **FantabulousUnicorn88:** Hi again! Funny thing is that I kind of thought of this idea after I finished watching Future Diaries! HG and Mirai Nikki actually do have a lot of parallels since they both have games where all the contestants have to kill each other AND both of them have love affairs! And FYI, Peeta is Peat because I wanted to make it sound more Seam-like.

 **PS: It might be a while for a new update to come since school has started and it's gonna gradually get worse! See you guys next time!**

 **-Gardenia88**


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